Decoding Some Top Buzz Words of 2002
by Norman Solomon
Dissident Voice
December 11,
2002
How words are
used can be crucial to understanding and misunderstanding the world around us.
The media lexicon is saturated with certain buzz phrases. They're popular --
but what do they mean?
"The use of
words is to express ideas," James Madison wrote. "Perspicuity,
therefore, requires not only that the ideas should be distinctly formed, but
that they should be expressed by words distinctly and exclusively appropriate
to them." More than two centuries later, surveying the wreckage of public
language in political spheres, you might be tempted to murmur: "Dream on,
Jim."
With 2002
nearing its end in the midst of great international tension, here's a sampling
of some top U.S. media jargon:
* "Pre-emptive"
This adjective
represents a kind of inversion of the Golden Rule: "Do violence onto
others just in case they might otherwise do violence onto you." Brandished
by Uncle Sam, we're led to believe that's a noble concept.
* "Weapons of mass destruction"
They're bad
unless they're good. Globally, the U.S. government leads the way with thousands
of unfathomably apocalyptic nuclear weapons. (Cue the media cheers.)
Regionally, in the Middle East, only Israel has a nuclear arsenal -- estimated
at 200 atomic warheads -- currently under the control of Ariel Sharon, who has proven
to be lethally out of control on a number of occasions. (Cue the media shrugs.)
Meanwhile, the possibility that Saddam Hussein might someday develop any such
weapons is deemed to be sufficient reason to launch a war. (Cue the Pentagon
missiles.)
* "International community"
Honorary members
include any and all nations that are allied with Washington or accede to its
policies. Other governments are evil rogue states.
* "International law"
This is the
political equivalent of Play Dough, to be shaped, twisted and kneaded as
needed. No concept is too outlandish, no rationalization too Orwellian when a
powerful government combines with pliant news media. Few members of the
national press corps are willing to question the basics when the man in the
Oval Office issues the latest pronouncement about international behavior. It's
a cinch that fierce condemnation would descend on any contrary power that
chooses to do as we do and not as we say.
* "Terrorism"
The hands-down
winner of the rhetorical sweepstakes for 2002, this word aptly condemns as
reprehensible the killing of civilians, but the word is applied quite
selectively rather than evenhandedly. When the day comes that news outlets
accord the life of a Palestinian child the same reverence as the life of an
Israeli child, we'll know that media coverage has moved beyond craven
mediaspeak to a single standard of human rights.
Although you
wouldn't know it from U.S. media coverage, 80 percent of the Palestinians
killed in recent months by the Israeli Defense Force during curfew enforcement
were children, according to an October report from the Israeli human rights
group B'Tselem. Twelve people under the age of 16 had been killed, with dozens
more wounded by Israeli gunfire in occupied areas, during a period of four
months. "None of those killed endangered the lives of soldiers,"
B'Tselem said.
Closer to home,
in less dramatic ways, the concept of "human rights" melts away when
convenient. Even an assiduous reader of the U.S. press would be surprised to
run across some key provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
adopted by the United Nations more than 50 years ago and theoretically in force
today. For instance, the document declares without equivocation that
"everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and
favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment."
Perhaps the
Universal Declaration passage least likely to succeed with U.S. news media
appears in Article 25: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living
adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including
food, clothing, housing and medical care and the necessary social services, and
the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood,
old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."
Words expressing
those kinds of ideas are scarce in our media lexicon.
Norman Solomon's latest book is The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media. His syndicated column focuses on media and politics. Email: mediabeat@igc.org